Firestorm
by IceKat9494
Summary: 6-year-old Raditz and his friend Junipuru only want to explore the woods, but the get more than they signed up for when fire runs rampant! Will their friendship get them through, or will Raditz give into weakness and be burned to ash? one-shot. rated T for da language and da blood and da children getting hurt :3


**Well, my friend ProjectSSSS123 wanted me to write a fanfiction on Dragon Ball Z, and I figured "hey, I like Raditz, so why not :P" **

**Yes, I have a working knowledge that the time frame is messed up, and Kakarot is too old to still be on planet Veget- oh screw it just enjoy the damned book! I really don't watch DBZ all too much. (Nor do I own it. Just a disclaimer here!)**

**And I credit ProjectSSSS123 for revising the grammar fails. She's more better at grammar than me.**

Raditz trudged out of school, his tail dragging lamely behind him. He was NOT looking forward to Dad's reaction to the test he got back. He heard familiar footsteps behind him and turned around. He smiled to see his friend, Junipuru, skipping along behind him.

"Hi Raditz! She chirped. "How did you do on the Earth Culture test today?"

Raditz sighed. "Another drop off a building is ensured for me, June."

She frowned. "What was the answer you got for number seven?"

Raditz blushed and looked at his feet. "Eating turkey…" he mumbled, holding his head in shame.

Junipuru laughed. "The most common earthly Christmas tradition is putting up a Christmas tree, silly. Turkey is on thanksgiving!"

The young boy scowled and kicked up dust as he walked. "I would be in a much better mood if you had told me this yesterday, you know, when it had actually mattered!"

Junipuru rolled her eyes. Her smile quickly changed, though, into a wide mischievous grin. "How about we explore the woods by your house?" she suggested. "Your dad is always trying to get us to, maybe he won't be so mad if we finally take a hike and see new things. We could even train!"

Raditz's eyes lit up. "Hey, yeah!" he exclaimed. "Will your parents mind?" he asked, and instantly regretted it when Junipuru pouted.

"Daddy wouldn't care if I never came home from school… ever."

Raditz knew it was true. His friend's father only cared about fighting, hardening his daughter up, trying to make her better, he would even try to push her to go super saiyan, although it was completely and utterly impossible. She was a six-year-old girl for Kami's sake! Her father had no idea that girls were not capable of becoming the one spoken in legends. All the while not caring for her needs or worrying for her safety. If she were to get hurt, or even killed, he would be the last to know, and the last to care.

"Sorry, stupid question." The young boy mumbled. He hadn't meant to upset her. He did that a lot. He particularly did this to Kakarot, his three-year-old brother. Raditz had a habit of upsetting him and taking his stuff. He never meant to make the little child cry, but he always did.

But Junipuru only shook the raven black hair out of her eyes, and forced a smile. "Let's go, then. Last one to your place has to say 'hi' to Bardock first!"

The two six-year-olds laughed and pelted off toward the Raditz's house.

Bardock leaned against the window and watched the two children chase after one another. The little girl was in front, with his own son at her heels. They smacked against the door and walked in the house, their shoulders were heaving with each breath they took. "Hi dad." Raditz panted, a little upset that he lost to a girl.

"Hi, Mr. Bardock" said June. Bardock stood up and cracked his back. "How did you do on the Earth Culture test today?" he asked with a raised eyebrow, and cracked his knuckle. "Better than the LAST one, I hope?" Raditz sweatdropped, and then sighed with relief when his mother walked into the room.

"Come off it, Bardock." She said with a hint of amusement in her voice. "He's been doing fine in school; you're always too hard on him."

Bardock crossed his arms and muttered something under his breath. Naira, Raditz's mother, laughed and stroked her son's hair. "So what are you kids here for?" she asked.

"We wanna go explore the forest!" They said in unison.

Naira laughed. "Go ahead."

"YAAAY!" the kids cried, and dashed out the door, through the backyard, and into the thick woodland.

"Can't catch me!" Junipuru laughed. Raditz darted after her laughing all the way. After an hour of two, they were deep in the woods, laughing their childish, carefree hearts out.

"We should go back." The young boy sighed. He brushed his long black hair out of his way and lied down on the bracken-covered ground. His peace of mind was quickly disturbed when Junipuru shot to her feet.

"Can you smell that?" she asked, twitching her head around. Raditz shrugged.

"What am I looking for?" he asked.

"Smoke."

Raditz sniffed. There was more than a hint of the choking scent of smoke on the air. "Yeah, yeah I do."

Junipuru jumped like a kicked cat. "Did you hear that?" she asked, fear pinching her voice high.

"No—"

Raditz was broken off by a loud crackle. Slowly, fearfully, the two children turned to look behind them

"F-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-R-R-R-R-R-R-E!" they shrieked.

Naira bounced Kakarot in her arms. She stood up and drifted gracefully to the window. At what she saw when she got there she jumped and almost dropped her son. Fire engulfed the nearest part of the forest, trapping the way of the kids. She imagined her little baby, her little Raditz and his friend, lying dead in the burned remains of the forest

"BARDOCK!" she screamed.

Rubbing his head from a headache he felt coming on, said saiyan poked his head around the corner. "Yes, woman?" He asked, completely oblivious.

Naira pointed out to the window in complete distress. "Does ANYTHING scare you!?"

Bardock nonchalantly shrugged, but he took a quick glance outside the window, only to find out why the woman was yelling.

"Oh, of ALL the Kami-damned things…" Bardock yelled, now feeling the effects of a major headache.

Naira turned on him. "Well, don't just stand there kisama, go rescue them, for Kami's sake!"

"Only if you come with me!" Bardock snapped back. In a fury of wind, he was out the door, _ki_ engulfing him, taking to the forest, his wife dead on his heels.

The little kids sprinted along the underbrush, whenever one stumbled, the other would help. Raditz knew that they had to stay together. They didn't stand a chance on their own. If they got separated, they would… they would…

Raditz didn't want to think about it.

Suddenly, he heard a gasp, and swiveled around.

Junipuru was trembling; she had a thick and evil bramble entwined around her bare leg, small droplets of blood were splashing through.

"Come on, June!" Raditz coughed. The smoke was getting thicker. "Come on!"

June bit her lip. "I can't!" It _hurts!_" she wailed, and can you blame her? She was barely six years old.

Raditz bit his lip. The devastating flames were nearly upon them. "June!" He cried. With despair, he watched his friend try and yank herself free, only crumpling to the ground in pain.

With every tug, the thorny plant writhed deeper under the soft flesh of her leg. "Go on, Raditz!" She coughed "Save yourself!"

The frightened boy clasped his hands to his head. He had three options; to leave her, to stay with her, or to get her out. He looked into his friend's terrified copper eyes. "I'm sorry, Junipuru!" he shouted, and grabbed hold of her wrist. With a violent tug, he wrenched her free of her tether. She cried out in agony, and Raditz noticed that the evil plant had nearly ripped entirely through to the bone.

"Come on June!" he said encouragingly. "We need to keep running!"

The kids darted, Junipuru trying hard to keep up. Only adrenaline and fear kept her going. Raditz was still clutching her arm, afraid to lose her in the chaos. But he was getting tired and eventually collapsed in a clearing. He clung fearfully to Junipuru, who did the same, flames roaring around them like a violent dragon.

"Who's gonna save us now, Raditz?" she asked, her voice cracked with a sob. "I don't wanna die!"

_Me neither._ Raditz thought, but he just held Junipuru tighter. "Kami help us!" he cried.

Then a miracle happened. Two pairs of footsteps shot out of the flames on either side. "Mom! Dad!" Raditz gasped. Bardock leapt into the air, and fired a blast of _ki_ into a nearby pool. Water splashed everywhere, dampening the rampant forest fire. Naira sprinted along the sides, tossing damp pieces of cloth, slowly extinguishing the flames.

"Mommy!" Raditz stumbled forward, unsteady from the smoke that stung his eyes and made his head hurt. He grabbed the hem of her skirt and cried into it. Junipuru shot up, and hugged Naira.

Bardock was about to say; "What about me!?" but he decided that the children needed a comforting figure, and let's face it, he wasn't one of THOSE.

The four Sayians slowly walked back, and they found themselves in Junipuru's back yard. Her father staggered out the door, holding a bottle of foreign liquid, and, taking into account that Bardock was an occasional drinker, he knew that stuff would drive any one mad with the first drop. It was often banned from Planet Vegeta.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE!?" He raged drunkenly.

Junipuru hovered forward, for the pain on her leg was too great to walk.. "Daddy!" she cried, tears mixing with blood and soot on her face. She threw her arms around him and bawled into his shoulder.

"Hey-wha?" he growled. "Get off me, weakling!" He shoved her to the ground. "I said crying wasn't allowed, ever!" his voice was ragged with abuse. "And where in Kami's name were you? You missed your Super Saiyan training! You'll never be a great warrior at this rate!"

Naira was about to intervene this terrible scene, but Bardock put up a hand. "You _do_ know girls can't go Super Saiyan, right?"

"Well, I'll prove those damned legends wrong!" He shouted, shaking the now empty bottle at Bardock. "And I don't want any low-class fool telling me how to train my daughter!"

Raditz looked at the wounded girl. She was a complete and utter wreck. Her face was ashen, her hair was sooty, and the red-orange fighting dress she always wore was singed. Patches of fur were missing from her unnaturally fluffy tail, and her face radiated pure defeat.

Raditz heard Bardock growl something and, bearing his fangs, tromped up to June's father.

"Okay, I'm no stickler for being rough, but _that_!? That was just obscene!"

Junipuru's father drunkenly raged back. "Shaddup, you low leveler! GO 'WAY 'AN NEVER COME 'ACK!" He was so intoxicated on Space XXXX that he couldn't even pronounce words correctly!

Naira walked up as well. "You obviously aren't fit to raise a little girl as special as your daughter. For Kami's sake, I can hardly believe you two are related!" she spat in his face, then paced over to Junipuru.

"Sweetie." She said gently. "We won't let him hurt you any more. We'll take you to the orphanage, it isn't far, nobody will be mean to you again."

Junipuru only nodded, clenching her fist tighter above her chest. "Thank you miss." She said quietly.

_Thank sweet merciful God that was over. _Raditz thought.

He wiped his own tears away and hugged his friend. "We're strong, see June?" he whispered in her ear. "We're the strongest Sayians alive, and we won't ever be hurt in a fight, 'cause if we survived this, we can survive anything they throw at us."

The words were truer than anything Raditz had ever said after that. Although he was called weak in his later years, inside, he was still that brave six-year-old boy who risked his own life for a friend, who faced the most devastating fire with courage. Nothing about that is weak. Nothing at all.

_**Fin**_


End file.
